Door and window structure for convertible bodies



M y 1952 J. w. J. ACKERMANS INVENTOR. JOHN W. J. AGKERMANS QZ SFBWPatented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR AND WINDOWSTRUCTURE FOR CONVERTIBLE BQDIES Claims. 1

This invention relates to vehicle bodies, and more particularly tovehicle bodies of the fourdoor convertible sedan type such as arecommonly used on automobiles.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.793,272, filed December 22, 1947, now Patent 2,552,503.

In some present constructions of this type, a center pillar separatesthe front and rear doors on each side, and above this pillar, separatingthe front and rear window frames carried by the respective doors, is anupper pillar which, when the top is lowered, may be either left erect,folded inwardly or wholly removed and stored until the top is to be putup again.

Inother convertible tops of this type, the upper pillar, is adjustablyand replaceably fixed to the lower center pillar only. In place of thelower center pillara center panel is sometimes used. Said upper pillarmay be substituted by a center window the frame of which is secured tothe lower pillar or center panel at the belt line of the vehicle. Thisconstruction, however, is not entirely satisfactory from the standpointof esthetic considerations, and also because of the difficulty ofaligning the center window frame with the frames of the front and reardoors"slidable, foldable or stationary upper window frames; also becausethe center window frame projects forwardly so far as to restrictshoulder room and thus interferes with easy entrance to the vehicle.

To eliminate these objectionable features, the present inventionprovides a heavy center window pane, without outer frame, which iscarried by the upper part of one of the doors, thereby eliminating thecenter window frame and its inner Weatherstrip, if desired; also onlyone door gap joint has to be aligned with the center window and themeans of securing the center member to the top of the lower centerpillar are no longer necessary. This combination center window and upperdoor channel extension makes also a more rigid construction. Said centerwindow may also be arranged to fold or slide out of the way on eitherupper door frame when desired, by mechanism known in the art. It canalso be made to pivot about a vertical axis and thus act as aventilating panel and deflector for rear seat occupants.

An object of the present invention is to provide a convertible four-doorsedan type body of improved design and operability.

A further object of the invention is to provide a body of the typeindicated having improved appearance and more convenient ventilatingfeatures, and wherein assembly o the p t in a ufacture is facilitated.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description, taken in connection with the appendeddrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the window construction of the vehicleshown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view-taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and arrangement of partsillustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capableof other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in variousways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology cr terminologyemployed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Figs. 1 to 6 illustrate a four-door sedan having a convertible topdesigned to fold into a booth at the rear of the car body, but shown inFig; 1 in its extended or raised position and secured at its forwardedge in a substantially vertical plane to a rearward extension I2 of theWindshield frame it, The body of the vehicle comprises front and reardoors It and i8 which open toward the front, the rear door being hung ona pillar 20 by means of concealed hinges 22.

The doors I6 and 18 are provided with fixed channel frames 28 and 3t,each of which contains a rubber or felt runway which is channeled toreceive the edge of the window glass in vertically sliding relation. Theframes 28 and 3|] are fixed totheir respective doors l6 and Hi, thepanes 24 and 26 being vertically slidable therein to concealed positionsin the doors, in the usual manner. The body is also provided withventilating windows 32 and. windshield panes 34, which may be of usualconstruction. There may also be provided a pair of overhead panes in theextension [2. The belt molding of the vehicle is indicated at 38.

Between the front and rear side windows is mounted a center window panewhich is formed of heavy glass of approximately the thickness of theframes 28 and 30.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-5 the parts thereofcorresponding to the parts of the construction illustrated in Patent No.2,552,503 are designated by the same reference characters, except ashereinafter noted.

The center pane is in this instance designated 80, and is designed notonly to be carried by the rear door, but also to rotate relativethereto, so as to constitute a ventilating window and defiector of thesame general type as that indicated at 32. Indeed, the constructionherein described in connection with the pane Bil may be substituted forthe usual ventilating window 32. For this purpose, the arm 46 is fixed,as by welding, to a channel member 8| which extends alon the forward andupper and lower edges of the pane 80,,but spaced therefrom, and whichcontains tapping plates 82 welded thereto. The lower arm 50 is fixed tothe channel member 8| by screws 52. A flexible Weatherstrip 84 is seatedin the three sides of channel BI to form a weatherproof seal for thepane 89 while permitting pivoting movement therebetween. The four-sidedWeatherstrip 84 has outer and inner flanges, the outer flange extendingonly along the forward edge of the pane and along the forward portionsof the upper and lower edges thereof, while the inner flange extendsonly along the rear edge of the pane and along the rear portions of theupper and lower edges thereof, the purpose being to form a seal whileminimizing interference with the pivotal movement of the pane in knownmanner. The vertical rear part IIZ of weatherstrip 84 is secured toframe 36 by screws H4 as shown in Fig. 5,. The Weatherstrip 84 may beprovided with a metal reinforcin strip I I5 to prevent the screws IMfrom pulling through the Weatherstrip,

The pane as is formed, along its vertical axis, with upper and lowerbores in which are seated bushings 86, formed as part of upper and lowerbushing brackets 88,0f brass or similar material, which are cemented tothe pane 85. Upper and lower screws 89, 98' are threaded into thetapping plates 82 of channel BI, and each is provided with a pivot pin92 of reduced diameter, seated rotatably in its bushing 86, upon whichthe pane '80 may rotate from the full line position shown 'may be-interposedbetween the shoulder of screw dfigandttheubracket 88toprovide sufficientfric- "tio n th'at' the pane dlizwill remain in. anyopen position to:which it'is moved :by the operator.

3 Ii 'Along the'tlower edge of channel '8 I extends, a

flexible "Weatherstrip '96 designed-ato cooperate with a strip 98secured to the-pillar 20.- v V To the forward edge ofthe three sidedchan 'ner 8I-(Fig 6) which "forms a spaced frame around the pane Bil isattached a flexible weath- 'erstr ip III designed to contact' the-fr'ame2a of jpan'eZ i" whenever the front-and rear doors are 1 in closedposition. 7 The Weatherstrip-I Id maybe ovided withai metal reinforcingstrip I I [simi- Pl ar" to ithereinforcing strip II fi 'dlscribed inconnectionwithFig.5.-.

Thepane can; designed amaze relativetoits supporting chann elmember BIonly in the clockyvise direction, ior opening from the full. lineposition to the broken line position shown in Figs3 v 4 circular so thatthe bolt will not rotate in the bore.

A washer I20 is mounted non-rotatively on bolt H8 and is provided with alug I22 which cooperates with an extension I24 on handle H6 to limit themovement of the handle in either direction, the range of movement beingapproximately A' nut I26 is threaded on bolt H8 to retain the washer I20 and bolt H8 in fixed relation to the pane 85. The handle is rotatableon a reduced extension I23 of bolt H8, and is held in place by a nut I30. When the handle is in vertical position it may be seized to move thepane to open position, whereas when it is in horizontal position itcontacts a friction plate I32 and thereby acts as a stop to preventopening of the window.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certainspecific embodiments thereof, it may be embodied in other forms withinthe skillof artisans in this art, and is not limited except by the termsof the following claims. 1

I claim:

1. In a vehicle body having two side, doors with slidable windows infore-and-aft relation to each other and a pillar between thelowerportions of said doors, a ventilating panel carried by one of saiddoors to swing therewith and positioned when said doors and panel areclosed between the upper portions of said doors and above said pillar,and means for oscillating said panel on a substantially vertical axisrelative to said door.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, comprising in additionWeatherstripping cooperating with the edges of the panel to exclude theelements while permitting such oscillating of the panel andWeatherstripping on said door coacting with the adjacent edge of theother door.

3. The invention definedin claim 1, comprising in addition a rotatablehandle secured. to the panel and operative to prevent rotation thereof{that are embedded. aid wi ss-. sesr 'f ig means adjacent-one of. saidbushings ito rnaintainsaidtwing in opened position, a latching device onsaid wing coacting with aportion of said supporting means, saiddevicebeing retained by a singlenon-rotatablefastener through said wing,

; and ,weatherstripping for separable: junctures of said wing andsaidsupportingmeans, said supporting, means being fixedly secured to onej of said doors and comprising a guideLchannel fQr sliding one of saidwindows from a closed position to alippenpositiom H H I i I t z .5. Avehicle bodyv ha ing at each sidea center pillar and two doorsprovidedwith slidable windows, apermanently erected ventilator wing disposedlongitudinally between said windows, supporting meanshaving. mechanismfor vertically pivoting said wing near its centensaid supporting meansbeing fixedlysecured to one of said doors and including a runway channelto receive an edge of one of saidslidable. window s, pivoting mechanismon opposed ,edges. ofsaid wing coact ing with said first mechanism, saidsecond mechanism comprising pivot bushings embedded in said wings edges,friction means adjacent one of said bushings to maintain said wing inopened position, a latching device on said wing coacting with a portionof said supporting means, said device being retained by a singlenon-rotatable fastener through said wing, and Weatherstripping forseparable junctures of said wing and said doors secured to saidsupporting means.

6. A vehicle body having at each side a lower center pillar and twodoors provided with windows spaced from each other longitudinally of thebody, a ventilating panel disposed between said windows, supportingmeans on one of said doors for carrying said panel, said supportingmeans comprising a guide channel for sliding one of said windows from aclosed position to an open position, mechanism coacting with saidsupporting means and with said panel for pivoting said panel in relationto said door, and Weatherstripping for separable junctures of said panelsecured to said supporting means.

7. A vehicle body having at one side a lower center pillar and two doorsprovided with slidable windows, a transparent panel longitudinallydisposed between said windows, means for pivotally supporting said panelon one of said doors including a runway channel to receive an edge ofthe slidable window associated with said one door.

8. In a vehicle body comprising a roof. front and rear doors, and apillar separating said doors, a vertically slidable window carried byone of said doors and movable to a point above the top of said pillar,supporting means comprising a runway channel for at least one edge ofsaid window secured to said door, arms connected to said supportingmeans, and a transparent panel carried by said arms for pivotal movementabout a vertical axis and constituting an extension of said pillar atleast when said panel and said doors are closed.

9. A vehicle body having at one side a lower center pillar and two doorsprovided with spaced windows, a permanently erected transparent paneldisposed between said windows, supporting means on one of said doors forcarrying said panel, and mechanism coacting with said supporting meansand said panel for pivotal movement of said panel relative to said door,said supporting means comprising a guide channel for sliding one of saidwindows from a closed to an open position.

10. A vehicle body having at each side a lower center pillar and twodoors provided with windows spaced from each other longitudinally of thebody, a permanently erected ventilator wing disposed between saidwindows, supporting means having mechanism for vertically pivoting saidwing near its center, and pivoting mechanism on said wing coacting withsaid first mechanism, said supporting means comprising a guide channelfor sliding one of said windows from a closed position to an openposition.

JOHN W. J. ACKERMANS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Ackermans May 8, 1951

